JEFF METZ Description
Jeff Metz' superbly crafted works in natural stone explore the juxtaposition of highly geometric form with undulating, curvilinear lines. The sinuous flow Metz creates using only hand tools results in a captivating expression of the artist's success in combining disparate elements into a cohesive and elegant whole.
JEFF METZ Statement
Through the language of abstraction, my current work focuses on generating a unique interaction between rigorous geometry and fluid movement. The inherent and essential tension which exists between these poles drives my sculptural explorations.
I begin each sculpture with a foundational form which is a component of an eventual whole that I cannot apprehend. From this point, an in-the-moment interplay between subconscious and logical decisions directs the evolution of each work.
The elemental core of my process and sculpture is the sustained confrontation of ambiguity as I work toward formal resolution. By approaching each sculpture in this way, I can integrate the nuance of the unexpected into each composition.
Intimately connected with this idea is the fact that my sculptures shun symmetry. But beyond the difficulty of inferring their full reality from one vantage point is my intention of setting up a series of interrelationships throughout a sculpture. My goal is to maintain the cohesion of the whole, even as multiple relationships unfold in a continuous, in-the-round flux.
Each sculpture is hand-carved from a single block of stone.
-Jeff Metz
JEFF METZ Resumé
Solo and Group Exhibitions
2010 a new leaf gallery | sculpturesite, Sonoma, CA
2010 Santa Fe Community College, Santa Fe, NM
2008 a new leaf gallery | sculpturesite, Sonoma, CA
2005 "Abstractions in Stone and Oil", The Factory on Fifth, Albuquerque, New Mexico
2005 "Seven New Mexico Sculptors", Albuquerque, NM
2004 Robert Roman Gallery, Scottsdale, AZ
2004 Christin Wolf Gallery, Albuquerque, NM
2003 The Scottsdale Airpark, Scottsdale, AZ
2001 Juried Show, Santa Fe Community College, Santa Fe, NM
2000 Weyrich Gallery, Albuquerque, NM
1996 "The Figure Pre-Figured", ASA Gallery, Albuquerque, NM
1994 Juried Show, Kennedy Gallery, Massachusetts College of Art, Boston, MA
1992 Juried Show, Rowe Arts Gallery, The University of North Carolina, Charlotte, NC
Press and Awards
2010-2011 Finalist, New Mexico Public Art Purchase Initiative
2009-2010 Finalist, New Mexico Art in Public Places Acclaimed Artists Series
2009 The Davidson Journal, Volume 38, Fall; “Form and Content,” pp. 56-57
2007 Sculptural Pursuit Magazine Industry Award for Euclidean Variation no. 2
2005 Finalist, New Mexico Public Art Purchase Initiative
2005 The Weekly Alibi, July 7-13, 2005
2005 The Albuquerque Journal, July 3, 2005
Private and Public Collections
Jeff Metz sculptures can be found in private collections throughout the United States. His monumental piece After the Iban is on permanent display in Tokyo, Japan.
Education
1991 B.A. English Literature, Davidson College, Davidson, North Carolina
1992-1993 Studied ceramics, The University of North Carolina
1993-1995 Studied sculpture and ceramics, The Massachusetts College of Art
1997-2000 Studied Japanese porcelain from Arita, Japan
